Gilead
The Republic of Gilead, sometimes colloquially referred to simply as Gilead, is the authoritarian, theocratic regime that takes over the United States of America in the novel of The Handmaid's Tale. History It would seem that Gilead originally began as various religious extremist groups that believed that America needed to be 'saved' from sin and corruption. According to the conference transcript at the end of the novel, these coalesced into a single conspiracy which referred to itself as "the Sons of Jacob". the Sons of Jacob devised and executed an elaborate coup d'etat against the United States government. Through a series of coordinated attacks, they assassinated the U.S. President and members of Congress, as well as all nine Justices of the Supreme Court. Blaming the attacks on Islamist terrorists, the army (presumably under influence of the conspirators) then established martial law. In quick succession, the United States Constitution was suspended, online bank accounts were frozen, and all employed women were fired from their jobs. Offred recalls that the entire coup happened so fast that the widespread emotion among the general population was bewilderment as the Sons of Jacob's own troops systematically cleared women out of places of employment. There were a few protest marches at first, but the new Sons of Jacob government immediately responded with blunt, naked aggression; deploying its own soldiers (not official US military personnel) to mercilessly slaughter the unarmed protesters rather than disperse them. After the first protests were quashed with such sheer brutality, the population was too terrified to mount any further reaction. However, the Sons of Jacob's actions against unarmed protesters would fan the flames of armed resistance with various rebel groups and citizen militia units across the country started to take up arms against the Sons of Jacob regime The new government quickly began hunting down anyone they perceived as being "unGodly" or a threat. This included political activists, doctors, members of other religious groups and gender minorities, and intellectuals. Soon, the United States of America ceased to exist and from its ashes arose the Republic of Gilead. After the Republic of Gilead's establishment, armed resistance against the new regime would intensify even further with the rebel groups, pro-US/anti-Gilead citizen militias and the United States Armed Forces (who are still loyal to the US Government-in-exile in Anchorage, Alaska) going to war with Gilead with the goal of restoring the United States of America. Aftermath it appears that Gilead existed on a scale of decades and not centuries. Several characters who were alive during the timeframe of The Handmaid's Tale are described as dying during purges which occurred in the "Middle Gilead Period." This implies that there was also a "Late Gilead Period." Gilead eventually fell from power, and is now studied in universities and schools in North America, where it is heavily implied that a new, secular, democratic government has been restored to power in the United States, with the harsh laws and regulations imposed by Gilead being overturned. Category:Christianity Category:Catholicism Category:North America Category:Gilead